Guard for beds



F. T. MOON GUARD FOR BEDS Feb. 23, 1954 Filed May 2 1951 Inventor FRANCIS T. MOON VIM g DJW Attorney.

Patented Feb. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a guard for a bed and appertains particularly to a guard rail or fence suitable for mounting on a hospital bed to prevent a patient from falling therefrom and that may be easily moved out of operative or guarding position to allow an attendant to care for the patient.

An object of the invention is to provide such a guard that may be readily mounted on the frame of beds of the type now commonly used in hospitals, institutions and sick rooms.

A further object of the invention. is to provide a bed guard that may be dropped into an inoperative position where it will be out of the way, offering no interference to the nurse or attendant caring for the needs of the bed patient.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a bed guard of the nature and for the purpose described that is characterized by structural simplicity, durability and low cost of production, whereby the same is rendered commercially desirable.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as shall become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall be hereinafter more fully described, illus trated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly described when reference is had to the drawings forming a part of this disclosure wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a high hospital bed equipped with a preferred form of guard;

Figure 2 is a vertical, transverse section through the near side of the bed and guard, as taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail of the guard-attaching bracket;

Figure 4 is a similar sectional detail of a slightly modified form of bracket; and

Figure 5 is a vertical section of the modified form of bracket, at right angles to that shown in Figure 4, and as taken on section line 5-5 of said Figure 4.

With sick and bed-ridden patients, there is the ever present danger of their falling out of bed and, as hospital beds are usually high to facilitate attending to the needs of the sick one, the injury sustained in such a fall is not infrequently serious. The restlessness of the patient and the hardness of the mattress may be contributing factors.

Permanent guards are in the way, interfering with the nurses duties, and make it difficult for the patient to get into and out of bed; removable guards are inconvenient, heavy and clumsy. The most satisfactory guard is the hingedly mounted type shown herein, that is readily mounted on a usual type hospital bed and may be removed therefrom when not wanted. it is securely held in upright, operative position, easily and instantly released or unlocked, and is then swung down into inoperative position-not just hanging down vertically at the side of the bed, but--swung angularly under the bed, out of the way, where it is not interfering with the knees of the attendant, who may want to stand closely against the side of the bed if the patient is to be moved or lifted.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the guard is seen applied to a usual type hospital bed I, being actually attached to the side rail 2. The guard itself has one or more horizontal bars or slats 3 supported by a spaced pair of parallel posts 4 that are normally in upright or vertical position; though the guard may be supported in an outwardly inclining angle if desired.

A spaced pair of mounting brackets 5, for the guard posts 5, have each a deep groove 6 in which a flange of the bed rail 2 can seat, one wall of the groove having a threaded bore 1 through which a wing screw 8 extends to clamp the bracket securely on the bed frame. The major part of the bracket 5 projects laterally, from the outside of the bed rail and exposes a vertical slot Q for the full height of the bracket for the accommodation of the lower end of the post 4 which is hingedly mounted by its lower end on a transverse pin iii carried by the side walls I l of the slot; the lower end of the slot 9, behind the post, it will be seen widens rearwardly to allow the post 4 when hinged downwardly to swing beyond a vertical hanging position into an angular position under the bed I. Indeed to swing the guard into such an inoperative angular, under-the-bed position, a retractile coil spring I2 is stretched from the front of the lower end of the post 4 to the rear of the bracket 5, passing under the bottom of the post.

To normally hold the guard in operative, upright position, an exteriorly knurled locking ring l4, loosely encircling and freely slidable on the post t telescopes over the upper end 5a of the bracket, which is of reduced size and of annular form though bifurcated by the aforesaid vertical slot 9.

In the modified form of mounting bracket Hi,

In use,

3 shown in Figures 4 and 5, the guard post I6 is similarly pivoted on a transverse pin IT in the vertical slot l8 and normally held in upright operative position by the lock ring I9. Instead of a retractile spring to draw the released, down swung, guard under the bed, however, I have provided a friction washer 20 pressed by spring 2| coiled about the pin ['1 by a tension adjusting wing nut 22 threaded on the pin; whereby the guard, when swung downwardly through more than 180 degrees from its initial upstanding vertical position, into an angularly declining position under the bed, is frictionally held in such out of-the-way position.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be manifest that a guard for a bed, is provided that will fulfil all the necessary requirements of such a device, but as many changes couldbe made in the above description and many apparently widely different embodimentsof the invention. may be constructed within. the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all. matters. contained in the said accompanying slot-.anda thickness less than sufficient to reach to, the front thereof, said guard being swingablev downwardly through more than 180'degrees; and

an upwardly rising, normally a releasable post lock for each of said brackets freely slidable on the respective post and having a telescoping fit over the upper end of the bracket which is of reduced size.

2. A guard for a bed comprising a pair of laterally projecting brackets for removable clamping on the side rail of a bed in spaced relation; a guard comprising a pair of parallel posts one hinged in each of said brackets; a releasable post-locking means for each bracket and its hingedly'carried post; and aspring member connecting one of the guard posts and its bracket whereby said guard is held at an angular position to-the-vertical when swung downwards through more than degrees.

3. A guard for a bed comprising a pair of laterally projecting brackets for removable clamping on the side rail of a bed in spaced relation; a guard comprising a pair of parallel posts one hinged in each of said brackets; a releasable post-locking means for each-bracket and its hingedly carried post; and a retractile: spring stretched between the front of eachofv saidposts and the rear of the bracket supporting the same, said spring passing under the hinged.- endof the post; said guard being normally held; in upright operative position by said locking;

means and being. swingable downwardly when said means arereleased through more than.180,

degrees into inoperativeposition;

FRANCIS T. MOON.

References Cited in the file of this, patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 677,671 Lausen July 2, 1901 1,186,202 Jasinski June 6, 1916 1,262,086 Paige Apr. 9, 1918 2,195,955 Hillenbrand Apr. 2, 1940 

